.jpg) Owha in 2016 | |
| Other name(s) | Owha |
|---|---|
| Species | Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | Before 2012 |
| Residence | Waters off the northern North Island, New Zealand |
Owha ([ɔfa], born before 2012) is a leopard seal that has been seen throughout the northern North Island of New Zealand, such as in Auckland's Waitematā Harbour, where she likes to sleep on pontoons. Being known for what the news media website Stuff has described as "highly inquisitive behaviour", Owha sometimes breaks fenders and pops inflatable dinghies. The long form of her name, He owha nā ōku tūpuna, is Māori for "treasured gift from our ancestors". The name was given to her in 2016 by local hapū Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei. She was last seen in 2022.
Owha's presence in Waitematā Harbour has been contentious, with some people wanting her to be relocated due to her tendency to cause damage to marine equipment, and the danger she poses to children and pets. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has decided not to relocate her, due to the danger of anaesthetics towards leopard seals, and the possibility that she swims back to the harbour.
DOC describes Owha as "the longest tracked leopard seal in the world." She has helped encourage the research of the presence of leopard seals in New Zealand, which led to them being reclassified from a vagrant species to a resident species in 2019.